Argument over Ganpati procession tableau in MP's Ujjain leads to stone pelting

Ujjain, Sep 5 (PTI) Police in Ujjain district in Madhya Pradesh had to resort to a mild baton charge on Friday during a Ganpati procession after an argument between two groups led to stone-pelting on members of the force, an official said.

The incident took place in Mahidpur town, some 55 kilometres from the district headquarters, and the situation in the area is peaceful and under control, Ujjain Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradeep Sharma told PTI in the evening.

"There was a procession connected to Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (Prophet Mohammad's birthday) in the morning followed by a Ganpati procession. Some people raised an objection over a tableau in the Ganpati procession, which was resolved by the Sub Divisional Magistrate. However, at Fakir locality, stones were pelted at the police," he said.

"We resorted to a mild baton charge to control the situation. The area is completely peaceful now and a police contingent under the additional SP has been stationed in the area as a precautionary measure. A Rapid Action Force company will also be deployed at night," the Sharma said.

The RAF is a specialized unit of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trained to manage riots, communal violence, and civil unrest.

CCTV cameras have been installed on the routes of Ganpati processions and these will be checked to identify those involved in the incident, Sharma said.

Sources said some members of the minority community raised an objection against a tableau depicting "love jihad", a term used by right-wing outfits to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage in order to convert them to Islam. PTI LAL BNM